


The Butterfly Effect

by SunlightOnTheWater



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Unrelated Winchesters, Vampire Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-19
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-29 20:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunlightOnTheWater/pseuds/SunlightOnTheWater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One decision can change the course of destiny forever. On a hunt for the coven of vampires that killed fellow hunter Daniel Elkins, Sam Winchester is captured by vampires and held hostage. Unfortunately Gordon Walker and his hunting buddy are charged with Sam's rescue and a vampire named Dean finds himself protecting someone that should have been his sworn enemy. Eventual Dean/Ruby and Sam/Jo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sam

The air was cold, freshly fallen snow packing under their boots as Sam Winchester and his fellow hunters made their way toward the edge of the woods lining the barn. "You're sure this is the place?" Bobby Singer asked the hunter who had dug up the information about Daniel Elkins' killers and was responded to with a derisive snort that made Sam stiffen. Bobby was like a surrogate father to Sam, especially since he and his real father didn't always see eye to eye. Furthermore Sam didn't like Gordon Walker or his shady eyed partner. The pair seemed exactly the kind to go after Sam the moment either one learned he had demon blood in him, no matter that it hadn't been Sam's choice to be tainted and that he'd been an infant at the time.

"Yes I'm sure old man," Gordon rumbled lowly, looking almost offended that Bobby had questioned him. "This is where they've been hiding."

"And they don't know you've been spying on them?" Sam asked skeptically, unable to keep from challenging the older man. "They haven't caught your scent all over the place."

"I know how to do my job Winchester," Gordon snarled and then they all froze as Gordon's partner Evan or Eric or something Kubrick gave the low bird whistle that signaled trouble. Three worried gazes, made visible only by silver moonlight, met for a moment and the hunters began their hasty retreat. They were all armed but tonight's mission had been recon only, not attack. Kubrick had been tasked with keeping watch, making sure the vampires didn't sneak up behind the observing hunters. There could only be one explanation to why he signaled danger and, as three vampires flowed with liquid grace out of the shadows, the hunters realized he'd sounded the alarm with good reason.

The one in the lead was female with dark hair and equally dark eyes. She threw her head back and laughed when she saw the hunters, nudging the vampire at her side with a sharp elbow. That vampire was heavy set, not just with muscle but with a little flab too that had been left over from his time as a human. The fat didn't matter so much anymore though. He would be just as quick as a vampire as he would have been without it. The fat just made him a bigger target. The third, another male, leaned against a tree with a wide smirk on his face. He was all muscle with blonde hair in a short military cut and piercing green eyes. "Look what we have here," the female cooed, grinning wickedly at her companions. "A few hunters lost in the woods. But how did they know we were here?" She looked between the males with an almost childlike expression for a moment before the smirk was back. "Somebody has been sloppy lately."

"Probably your two pets," the blonde drawled, not moving from his lazy stance against the tree trunk. "They're always doing something stupid. Fucking fledglings." The female growled and Sam felt Bobby shift next to him, moving into a more action ready stance. On his other side Gordon was almost unnaturally still, eyes focused on the female.

"How about the death of another hunter?" the black man suggested, grinning when the female vampire turned to glare at him. "You didn't think you could kill Daniel Elkins and just walk free, did you sweetheart?" That made the female growl again and the blonde vampire actually step away from the tree.

"Gordon Walker," the blonde proclaimed after a moment of staring at the group. "Infamous vampire hunter. And you've decided you need help taking us down. How flattering!" The vampire's tone sounded anything but flattered and Sam tightened his grip on his machete, hoping that Kubrick would work up some courage and come help them.

"Do I know you?" Gordon asked, tone distinctly uninterested, and the blonde vampire grinned.

"Oh no," he crooned. "You shouldn't remember me but I remember that sweet sister of yours quite well."

" _Gordon_ ," Bobby warned but it was already too late and the other hunter was lunging forward at the blonde vampire, leaving one of Sam's sides open. In a sudden whirl of motion the blonde vampire shifted around Gordon, shoving the black man so he stumbled into the tree the vampire had been leaning on earlier, and hooked and arm around Sam's throat. Sam rammed an elbow back hard, twisting slightly and then gasping as the grip around his throat went tight, cutting off his air supply. A moment later the machete feel from numb fingers and the hold on his throat loosened enough that he could pull in a few tiny gasps of air. As his vision cleared Sam saw the headless corpse of the heavy set vampire lying on the ground next to Bobby who was flanked by Gordon. Bobby looked furious and Gordon's face was an emotionless mask.

"Touchy, touchy, touchy," the blonde vampire chided from behind Sam. "That's not a good quality for a hunter, or so I hear. Gets people killed." The arm around Sam's throat tightened teasingly but Sam refused to give the vampire the satisfaction of having him thrash in panic. He'd been strangled before on hunts and probably would be again. No big deal. Bobby's expression changed from furious to absolutely frigid in less than a second and the female laughed delightedly. "We'll just be taking your friend here as insurance that you won't try to kill us while our backs are turned," the vampire continued, still sounding amused. "Because if you do that I'll be forced to snap this one's neck and we don't want that, do we?" Neither Bobby nor Gordon made any motion of agreement but Sam knew they wouldn't risk a rescue, at least not until sunrise.

The blonde vampire laughed and then started to pull Sam backwards, the dark haired female scampering over to walk beside him. Sam resisted the urge to dig his feet in and kept his eyes fixed firmly on Bobby's until the older hunter was out of sight. "Good boy," the blonde vampire cooed in Sam's ear and he rammed his head back with a quick snap, catching the vampire's nose. It was a glancing blow and the bone didn't break but Sam got a warning growl anyway and the grip on his throat tightened again. Sam didn't fight the motion, hearing John's voice snapping in his head, telling him to "Stop screwing around and get out of there _alive_."

Sam and John may have not exactly gotten along but there was one ordered Sam never failed to follow; get out alive. He was his father's only child. John had never recovered from Mary's death. Instead he'd set himself and his son on a mission of vengeance against the demon that had killed her, determined to figure out how to eradicate the creature entirely. In recent years, as Sam had grown older and more capable in the hunt, he and his father had split up more often, covering twice the amount of cases they had been able to before. That was why, when Bobby called and said he needed help, Sam had left John on a case in Minnesota and come to Colorado to help the other hunter.

Helping out Bobby wasn't the only reason Sam had come to Manning though. Rumor had it that Daniel Elkins had possessed the Colt, a weapon made by Samuel Colt himself to kill any kind of monster that roamed the planet, including demons. Sam was in Colorado as much for the Colt as to help Bobby. The lack of air was making Sam's lungs burn and his head spin as the moon gleamed off the snow. The harsh wind had already made it difficult to breath, prone to tug your breath away with a cool snap against your face, and the constant pressure on his throat didn't help matters any. The world was swimming before his eyes, a swarm of black dots dancing across his vision. The last thing Sam saw was the looming frame of the barn right in front of his face before he passed out.


	2. Dean

"So we've got ourselves a new toy," Kate cooed to Luther, motioning to the unconscious hunter tied against a barn post. 

"You mean _I_ have a new toy," Dean cut in. "You just pissed off a group of hunters that _you_ brought to our doorstep by killing Daniel Elkins."

"You do not speak to my mate this way," Luther snarled and Dean growled back, a low and dangerous tone.

"I'm not part of your coven and I certainly don't follow your rules," Dean hissed. "I am here only because you asked me to take care of a few hunters. Therefore the hunter is _mine_." There was a moment of long silence as Luther tried to stare him down and then the hunter stirred. Luther glanced away and Dean smirked as the other vampire herded his coven out of the room, leaving Dean alone with the hunter. He watched, leaning against the barn wall, as the hunter stirred again, dazed hazel eyes flickering open. The hunter glanced around slowly, heartbeat accelerating when he realized he was tied up. He watched for a minute as the hunter struggled against the ropes and then stepped fluidly from the shadows.

Dean had expected a flinch or increased struggling, not the sudden stilling of limbs and the dark eyed glare he got. "Morning sunshine," he drawled and the hunter growled. "Welcome to our humble abode."

"You sure threw out the welcome mat," the hunter growled back and Dean chuckled.

"Feisty," he said, talking a few steps closer and watching the hunter tense. "I like that."

"Oh go take a hike," the hunter hissed but he looked more and more uneasy the closer Dean got. He watched that with amusement, noting that when he got within arms reach the hunter started squirming against his bonds again.

"I don't think I will," he cooed, crouching down so he was eye level with the hunter. "I think I'll stay right here, do my job, drain you dry, and then saunter off back home. In that order."

"You can try," the hunter spat in his face even though his eyes were wide with fear. 

"I can do more than try," Dean told him, smirking widely before standing and patting the younger man on the head. "Now you get some sleep so you'll be awake to hear your friends scream when I kill them tonight." His smirk widened when the hunter tried to flinch away from his touch and then sauntered off into the shadows. He paused there, perched in the darkness, and waited. He knew the hunters would come to get this one during daylight hours. They wouldn't risk the coven's full strength at night with one of their company held hostage. 

Dean hunted hunters for a living, moving from coven to coven to rid them of problems. Luther had called him about four days ago, telling Dean that his mate had accidentally drawn hunters down on them by killing legendary vampire hunter Daniel Elkins. Dean had traveled across the country, from Santa Fe to be exact, to take care of business. At first there hadn't been anything going on but tonight he'd hit the jackpot. Not just one hunter but four traveling together? That gave Dean leeway to _play_. That one of them was Gordon Walker was even better. Dean had changed Gordon's sister, Amy, years ago and had laughed when he'd heard Gordon had killed her. The man was driven by the twin desires for revenge and death. He would be easy to take care of as well as providing the downfall of his companions.

The door to the barn slid open, allowing midafternoon sunlight to slip in. The hunter's head snapped up, hope flaring in his eyes. Two figures slipped inside, one of them Gordon Walker and the other an older blonde man Dean didn't recognize. They glanced around before shutting the barn door behind them and pulling out blades. Dean frowned, sliding forward slightly. "Sorry Sammy boy," Gordon said. "But we just can't let you live. Not since we know what you'll turn into."

"Gordon, what are you talking about?" Sammy asked, squirming against his bonds.

"We found out what the demon did to you," Gordon said. "And what you're supposed to become. You're going to be a monster Sam."

"I'm not a monster Gordon," Sammy, Sam, whoever he was, protested as he tried to flinch away from the hunters. Dean watched as his captive turned pleading eyes to the other hunter. "Kubrick you can't be believing this!"

"Sorry Sam," the man apologized. "But this is God's will."

"Y-you're crazy," Sam stammered.

"Not crazy, just saving the world," Gordon replied with a quirk to his head. "Come on Ethan. Let's get this over with. We can tell the old man that Sammy here was dead when we arrived." The blonde man nodded nervously, advancing with Gordon, and that was when Dean pounced. He sent the two men flying across the barn, Kubrick toward the doors and Gordon slamming hard against the other wall and slumping unconscious on the ground. Dean went for Kubrick who was already scrambling for his machete. The vampire expected the tied up hunter to warn the other but Sam just closed his eyes as Dean sank his fangs into Kubrick's throat and drank the man dry. Blood humming pleasantly in his body, Dean turned to Gordon. The man was still slumped unconscious on the ground, knife just out of reach.

"Now what should I do with you?" he mumbled, then turning to his captive. "What do you think Sammy?"

"It's _Sam_ ," came the sharp retort and Dean snorted.

"You didn't tell those two that."

"I was trying not to be killed," Sam shot back. "And rule number one of that is don't antagonize the crazies." Dean full out laughed at that before turning back to Gordon. Poetic justice was sounding very tempting at this moment and Gordon Walker would make a very good vampire.

"Well I'll be taking this one," Dean told the man. "Back to the cages. He's going to experience a little transition. You stay right there."

"Like I'm going anywhere," Sam said sullenly as Dean left him behind.

Luther was waiting for Dean when he came into the next area of the barn, looking tired and angry. "What was all the commotion? I didn't bring you here to lead trouble to my nest."

"No," Dean snarled back. "You brought me here because your nest brought trouble down on themselves." The vampire backed off a couple steps and Dean smirked in his face. "One hunter is dead and this one is going to become one of us. That means the only ones left are the older man and the hunter we have tied up. Relax Luther. I have it all covered." Then he turned and headed deeper into the barn where the cages lay. The cages were where Luther and his coven kept new vampires in an attempt to keep them from slaughtering humans in the early bloodlust and drawing hunters down on the coven. The tactic had been successful before Luther had been called away on a trip and Kate had changed two boys, letting them roam free. The fledglings were out of control and they had been the ones who had been with Kate when she'd had the brilliant idea to murder Daniel Elkins.

Right now the two were locked up, and had been since Luther had returned. Dean intended to feed Gordon his blood and leave the changing man in a separate cage to change. Then Gordon Walker would be out of the way and he would be a vampire just like his precious sister who he'd slaughtered. He dropped the man on the ground and pulled out his pocket knife, carefully slicing across his wrist. Carefully he fed his blood to the unconscious hunter and then shoved the man into a cage, slamming the door and clicking the lock closed. "Enjoy your new like Walker," he purred before heading back to watch over Sam.


	3. Sam

He slumped helplessly against the bonds, unable to get them loose. His muscles were still trembling with the aftershock of the knowledge that Gordon and Kubrick had been planning on killing him. He wondered vaguely what had convinced them that he would be evil; the demon blood or the notorious Winchester bad luck? Or was it just Gordon's general hate for John and his crazy acting up again? "Hey kid, you okay?" Sam's head jerked up so fast that it banged against the post he was tied to. His eyes flickered closed and when he opened them he couldn't help the whimper that escaped him. The vampire was inches from his face, intense green eyes focused on his hazel ones. He squirmed against his bonds, trying to get away. "Easy kid," the vampire said, slipping a hand under Sam's chin. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Sam was helpless against the hand that tilted his chin and stunned when he felt a gentle hand brushing through his hair. "Well you're going to have a nice bruise on the back of your head but you aren't bleeding anywhere," the vampire continued. "I'd be able to smell that." Sam was scared stiff, heart pounding so hard it felt like it should break out of his chest. He'd given up on being his father's stoic little hunter. He was probably about to die at the hands of a bloodthirsty vampire. Only John would think to be disappointed with him for showing a little fear at a time like this. The vampire surprised him again then, releasing Sam's chin and rocking back on his heels.

"What do you want?" Sam croaked out, mouth dry as cotton as a shudder ran through him.

"Right now?" the vampire asked, tilting his head thoughtfully.

" _No_ ," Sam shot back with automatic sarcasm. "Next Tuesday. Yes I mean now." Then he cringed back against the post as he realized what he'd just said.

The vampire smirked at him, green eyes clashing with hazel again, and said, "Right now I want to know who exactly you are and why those other two wanted to kill you."

"It's a long story," Sam blurted automatically and the vampire snorted.

"We've got time. Possibly all the time in the world." Sam's eyes narrowed at that but the vampire's smirk only widened.

"I don't know why they want to kill me," he said, hands twisting behind him to test the knots again. "They've decided I'm going to go crazy and evil and kill everyone or something like that. Besides Gordon's always been a little bit crazy."

"That's nice kid but you still haven't told me who you are."

"Why do you care?" Sam shot back, trying to find some give in the knots.

"Maybe I like to know who I'm killing," the vampire drawled. This time it was Sam's turn to snort.

"Yeah right," he said. "You didn't seem too concerned about that when you drained Kubrick dry."

"He didn't interest me," the vampire replied calmly.

"Lucky me," Sam drawled, rolling his eyes to the heavens as he tried to shift his arms into a better position to undo the knots.

"Lucky you," the vampire agreed before his eyes narrowed. "Stop that."

"What?" Sam questioned, trying to sound innocent, but his voice wavered nervously and the vampire's eyes narrowed further.

"Keep trying to untie yourself. Right now the fact that you're tied up is the only thing keeping you alive and unharmed." Sam froze, his heartbeat that had finally started to calm accelerating at breakneck speed. 

"No escaping," he muttered. "Right. Got it."

"Good," the vampire said, eyes lightening slightly. "Now tell me, who are you?"

"Sam," he said, seeing no way around it. "Sam Winchester." He watched with resignation for the widening eyes and then the coming vicious smirk as yet another creature realized they'd gotten the better of John Winchester's son. Instead the vampire simply tilted his head and studied Sam with those green eyes.

"Nice to meet you Sam," he said after a moment. "I'm Dean." Sam nodded once and the vampire retreated, watching him the entire time. Sam slumped with exhaustion, eyes drooping as his heartbeat slowed to a more normal pace for the third time in the past hour. The most recent rush of adrenalin had left him drained from the day's events. Slowly his eyes drifted closed but there was no escape in sleep.

_"Hello Sammy boy," a voice crooned and Sam jerked upright. For some reason he was lying on a motel bed. It took a moment for him to realize that he was in the last motel he'd slept in with his Dad. It took him barely another second to realize he was dreaming. Sam turned, movements laden with resignation, to see the man lounging on the motel's grungy couch. As usual he was using John's form but his eyes were bile yellow. "Did you miss me?"_

_"Not at all," Sam sneered, face screwed up in defiance. "Now get out."_

_"Oh Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," Azazel crooned, getting up and slowly advancing on the young hunter. "Haven't you figured it out yet? You have no power here."_


	4. Dean

The kid drifted off to sleep despite his best efforts to the contrary; exhaustion beating out fear. Dean kept his eyes on Sam, curious for the first time in the past thirty years. It wasn't every day that hunters came after one of their own with murder on the brain. Sam hadn't exactly given a satisfactory explanation as to why they had been so determined to end him either. The young hunter was thrashing in his sleep now, little moans and whimpers escaping him as he fought. Dean crossed the room and knelt next to him, reaching out a hand to brush it against Sam's forehead. The kid jerked back fast enough that he slammed his head against the post he was tied to and then yelped in pain. Dean winced and rocked back on his heels, watching the progression of pain and terror drift across the hunter's features. He was about to turn away, chalking the panic up to a nightmare, when the talking started.

" _No_!" The word was spat out of Sam's mouth like a bullet out of a gun. The emphatic denial had Sam's eyes darting beneath closed eye lids, as if looking for some form of escape. "I'm not going to. You can't make me." Dean watched as Sam trembled, suddenly feeling almost nervous. The hunter had held up pretty well for being kidnapped, tied up, and told he was going to die so whatever had him terrified now couldn't be good. "I won't, I won't, _I won't_!" Sam protested to whoever he was talking to, his voice getting less sure and more panicked as he continued protesting. "I'm not you son of a bitch, _I'm not_!" Then the hunter flat out screamed, a strangled sound of terror and pain that tore at Dean's eardrums. 

The vampire clapped his hands over his ears as the sound went on and on, kicking out a foot in Sam's direction. The kid jolted awake at the harsh kick, gasping for breath and trembling as he slumped against the ropes. Dean dropped his hands from his ears with a sigh of relief as he listened to Sam's strangled panting. He waited until the kid calmed down before turning to look at him. "What was that?" he demanded and watched Sam flinch. "Well," he snapped when he didn't get any answer and resigned hazel eyes lifted to meet his.

"What do you know about demons?" the kid asked and Dean fought down a whole body shudder.

"They come up from Hell to earth and possess people," he said, giving the kid the bare bones of what he knew. Sam nodded, eyes hollow.

"Well apparently a group of them have an endgame," Sam informed the vampire, tone tired and sickened. "And I'm supposed to be a part of it." Dean took a minute to absorb that, adding it to everything else he already knew about Sam.

"Was that why those other two were trying to eliminate you?"

"Sort of." Sam gave a little half shrug, the best he could probably do while being tied up. "It's complicated."

"Then simplify it," Dean ordered. If demons were involved in this entire mess he needed to know as much as possible to save his own skin.

"When I was six months old my mom died in a house fire," Sam said, glancing down at the floor.

" _So?_ " Dean retorted through gritted teeth and flashing hazel eyes snapped up to glare into his green ones.

"On the ceiling," Sam grated out. "With her stomach ripped open." Dean went completely still, eyes focused on the tied up hunter. "The same thing happened to my last high school girlfriend Jessica. I didn't find out why until a couple months ago." Sam paused, eyes slipping down to the floor, and then continued. "There was a demon in my room when my mother died, feeding me his blood. My mother interrupted him so that's why she died. And you want to know how I know this?" Sam's voice turned harsh with anger and the hazel eyes lifted back up to meet Dean's again. "Because the demon _told me_. He visits my dreams and whispers his brand of poison in my head and I can't keep him out. So maybe Gordon is right and I'm going to end up killing thousands of people and the world will be better off when I'm dead."


	5. Sam

That, Sam reflected after the words finished pouring out of his mouth, was not what he'd intended to say. He'd meant to simply say that the demon wanted him for something. He hadn't meant to admit he had demon blood in him or that Azazel controlled his dream world now, or that he thought he'd be better off dead. His chest did feel lighter, as if admitting the hopelessness of his entire life had lifted a heavy weight off of it. The vampire just sat there as if Sam had broken his ability to respond with that little speech. "Anyone home?" he asked tentatively. The vampire snorted and Sam grinned.

"Isn't that what you should be asking yourself?" the vampire retorted and Sam felt his smile slip away. It was a valid question. Azazel could find him in his sleep. What if the demon could find Sam when he was awake? That would explain how he'd known to kill Jessica. _Jess_. Sam felt as if his heart had sank to his stomach with the thought of that name. Jess had been sunlight and smiles. She'd always smelled of the peppermint body lotion she'd loved. Her mother, Karen, had stayed at home during the week and baked chocolate chip cookies on Mondays. She was the floor manager at Macy's during the weekend when Jess's father Tony was home from driving a semi all across the country delivering for Walmart. Then Jess had died and she'd taken all the light in the world with her. That was the day Sam had informed his father that he had won. John got his perfect little hunter. Sam got to help track down Jess's killer.

The hunting had been revenge driven and Sam had worked himself almost to death. That was when the dreams started. Azazel had greeted him the first time as Jess, smiling in a mocking expression that his girlfriend had never used before with bile yellow eyes. The demon had sneered over Jess's death before Sam had found himself catapulted into wakefulness. The demon had been showing up in Sam's dreams ever since then and, at the same time, misfortune seemed to follow Sam. That wasn't to say that misfortune came to the Winchesters any more than normal but anyone who hurt Sam seemed to have some kind of fatal accident within twenty-four hours. Case in point, Kubrick and the now incarcerated Gordon Walker. "It's possible," Sam admitted reluctantly, considering how exactly he could stop a demon from visiting his head.

"That's just great," the vampire growled, throwing his hands in the air. "That's all I need; a demon thrown into the mix!"

"You and me both," Sam mumbled, considering what Azazel had told him before he'd woke this time. The demon had gloated that there was an army coming, an army of demons, and that Sam was to lead them.

"Of course you'll have to kill off the competition first," the demon had told him with a smug grin stretching across hi borrowed face. "But you're my favorite." Sam shuddered as the echo of those words bounced around in his head.

"Whatever the demon wants, it has something to do with you," the vampire grumbled. "I at least can avoid it."

"I'm not so sure," Sam admitted to the creature that was probably going to kill him. "I'm not sure what's coming is something you can avoid."

"What do you mean?"

"The demon claims there's an army coming," Sam informed the vampire. "An army of demons."

"And it wants you why?"

"Because apparently I'm supposed to lead it."


	6. Dean

Dean wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to react to that particular piece of information. He'd lived for years among the supernatural community as a vampire but he had never heard of a demon raising an army for a human to lead. "You're kidding me," he managed to get out after a minute of stunned silence. "You have to be joking."

"I'm not," Sam returned sadly. "It might not be true though. Demons lie."

"Not about something like that," Dean shot back. "That's big. Like Lucifer rising big." Sam winced at that and Dean flinched too, not at the concept of how bad this was but rather at the idea of Lucifer rising from the Cage. That topped the list of things he didn't ever want to see in his lifetime. "So how do you get out of this?"

"Die." The response was flat and unamused, almost matter-of-fact. "You kill me and then hope that my dad doesn't figure out who did it."

"You're not worried about a demon deal bringing you back."

"Winchesters don't make demon deals," Sam said but something in his tone told Dean that the kid wasn't entirely certain that was the honest to God truth.

"I'm sure," he grumbled sarcastically, feeling the setting of the sun all the way down in his bones. "Right up until the point where Daddy finds out his kid's been killed by a vampire. Then all bets are probably off." Sam was opening his mouth to protest when the barn door slid open, silencing both of them. Dean turned to see what looked like a pretty blonde woman step inside the barn. Her hair was an almost natural shade of bleach blonde, cut short into a bob that graced her rounded features and allowed them to seem almost sharper than they should have been. She was wearing a tight fitting black shirt with a red fake leather jacket over it, black skinny jeans, and thigh high black boots heeled enough to give her a couple extra inches of height. She smelled like death and sulfur. 

Sam had frozen, turned almost to stone at the sight of the demon. She looked at him, smirked, and then turned her eyes to Dean. "Hello sweetie," she purred, looking him up and down as if he were something to eat. "We need to have a talk."

"About what?" he asked warily. Dean had been around long enough to know that anything a demon wanted was bad news.

"Sammy here," she said and he growled under his breath at her and she shot a dark glare at him. "Listen kiddo. Daddy dearest may like you best but that doesn't make you irreplaceable. You understand?" Sam glared defiantly back at her, frame tense and the sour scent of fear leaking out of his pores. After a moment she seemed to decide that she wouldn't get any more of a response from him and she turned back to Dean. 

"What about Sam?" he prodded, eager to get her out of here.

"Sammy dearest has a part to play," the woman cooed. "And I'm here to make sure he lives long enough to play it."

"Thought you said I was replaceable," Sam taunted, suddenly seeming to find his voice. "Get your story straight Meg."

"Shut up _Sammy_ ," she growled, obviously fuming.

"Fine, _bitch_ ," Sam sneered. Meg glared at him for a long minute and then seemingly satisfied, turned back to Dean but her expression was still irritated.

"Now Daddy says I can either do this the easy way or the hard way. You can either let Sam go by sunrise or I can come back at sunrise and slaughter you all. Understand?"

"Yes," Dean growled, none too pleased about the ultimatum. "I understand."

"Good," Meg said with a pleased smirk and then turned and walked out the way she'd came. There was a moment of silence when Dean stared off the way she'd gone. Then he turned back to Sam, furious.

"Who the Hell was that?" he demanded and Sam shrugged as best he could while he was tied up.

"Just some demon," he said. "Met her on a case in Indiana with a killer scarecrow and she's been around ever since. No matter what I do I can't seem to shake her, and believe me I tried. Even exorcised her once. It just annoyed her."

"Great," Dean growled, springing to his feet as irritation and nerves filled him with a wild kind of energy. "Just what I need; a demon who only gets annoyed when you send her back to Hell on my tail." He paced for a couple moments, turning the facts about in his mind. He really didn't want to let a couple of hunters walk away free but he also didn't have any desire to be ripped apart by a vengeful demon. That left one option. "What do you know about trapping and warding for demons?"

"Some," Sam admitted warily, tilting his head and studying Dean like he was trying to scan whatever soul the vampire had left.

"Spill," Dean ordered and watched Sam's jaw firm up as the young man clenched his teeth tightly together. His eyes narrowed as he considered his quickly dwindling options. He could change Sam. As a fledgling, or even transitioning to become a fledgling, the younger man wouldn't be able resist the pull of the bond insisting he spill. That could cause more demon problems though and Dean wasn't willing to risk that. The other option was to partially drain Sam. Bleary with blood loss, the human just might let slip everything he needed to know. Either that or babble on for twenty minutes to his dead girlfriend. Not that Sam would know that.

"Listen kid," he said, kneeling in front of the human. "You have two options; you can either tell me what you know or I can drain you enough that you babble everything going through your silly little mind. Understand?"

"Yeah," Sam replied sullenly.

"Good," Dean shot back. "Now spill."

"Salt around the windows and door," Sam spat out like the words were physically hurting him. "Unbroken lines. Demons don't like it. Holy water hurts them, well most of them."

"Most of them?" Dean demanded incredulously.

"According to Azazel some of the higher ups are immune. Meg is not though. Happy now?"

"You're holding out," Dean said, only to check the hunter's reaction, and got a derisive snort in response.

"I don't care how old you are. Not even you can learn how to correctly draw a devil's trap in two hours," the hunter retorted. Dean rolled his eyes at that and went to go rouse Luther and Kate. They had a barn to ward if they wanted to survive the night.


	7. Sam

Meg was going to be pissed. Sam knew that in the same way he knew that the sun rose and set every day and that he was always going to disappoint his father. The salt lines had been set around the barn, the vampires had somehow gotten their hands on some holy water, and now all there was left to do was wait. The sun rose slowly above the horizon, filling the barn with dim squares of peach colored light, and a figure marched right to the salt line in front of the entrance before jerking to a stop with a snarl. The demon, in the form of a twelve year old brunette girl, stared down at the salt with a wordless snarl, baring blunt teeth before turning and vanishing into the growing sunlight.

Most of the vampires had retreated back into the darker parts of the barn to rest but the few that were still around watched the doorway with trepidation. Moments later the young demon returned, Meg on her heels. The blonde demon scowled at the salt lines and then lifted her head to glare at the figures inside. "Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," she purred in a disapproving tone and he bit down an irritated growl at the nickname. "Why'd you have to do something like this?"

There were so many things Sam could say to that, so many replies he could have spit out, but he went with the one least likely the make the demon in question happy. "To piss you off." Meg growled, dainty lip pulling up in a snarl that should have looked ridiculous on her doll like face but instead managed to be terrifying. Sam desperately wanted to laugh. Azazel had shown him his true form once, billowing and sharp, and no matter how threatening Meg tried to look she would never top that. Sam had screamed so loudly that night that his throat had bled and he had spat out the blood the next morning.

"You can't win this Winchester," she sneered. "You'll fulfill your destiny sooner or later."

"Destiny can go fuck itself," Sam sneered back. He had been dragged around and knocked out and tied to a post and he was just so done at this point. Meg just gaped, obviously taken aback by Sam's uncharacteristic behavior.

"What-? How-? Why-?" she sputtered, hands fluttering helplessly at her sides. The demon next to her glanced at Meg with wide eyes, as if expecting her to explode at any second. Sam found himself agreeing with that look and the vampires just looked confused. After a moment Meg gained control of herself, arms snapping to her sides as if they were attached their by iron bands. Her head cocked sharply and her lips pulled up in a bloody smirk. "Oh you are going to make an interesting addition to the legions of Hell," she said at last and then stepped back into the shadows of the barn and the forest beyond, pulling the other demon with her. Moments later they were both gone, Sam was sure of it. That little feeling in the back of his head that told him when demons were near was surprisingly silent. He'd won this, whatever game it had been, and the knowledge left him with little satisfaction.

"She gone?" Dean asked and Sam turned to see the vampire studying him.

"Yeah," Sam replied, biting back a yawn. "She's long gone. Whatever game she was playing I won. Lucky me." The sardonic tone he was using didn't go unnoticed and it caused the vampire's lips to curve up into a smirk. Then he turned serious and turned his gaze toward a male vampire, this one a vampire that Sam didn't recognize.

"Luther it would be best if you and your coven leaves the area and finds somewhere else to lay low for a while."

"But-" the vampire, Luther, began to protest but a low growl from Dean silenced him.

"Do or don't, your coven is not my problem anymore," Dean snarled and Luther backed up a step, pulling the female from the first night with him. As the vampires moved out of Sam's view Dean circled around behind him. The click of a knife had Sam flinching and then freezing as the cool blade pressed against his skin. Moments later Sam was free and the vampire was yanking him up, propelling him with a powerful shove towards the entrance of the barn. "Get out of here," the vampire snarled. "I can't believe that I'm saying this but get the Hell out of here with your hunter friend. I don't ever want to see you again." Sam turned his head slightly so he could look the vampire in the eyes and nodded before heading into the woods to find Bobby. He didn't bother turning back; he knew there would be no one around to see.


	8. Dean

He did actually avoid seeing Sam, or hearing anything about the Winchester boy, for four months. Then he met Leonore. She and her mate, Eli, were leaders of a coven who drank blood solely from animals. Apparently she had met Sam Winchester on a hunt. "He was around Gordon Walker," the female vampire said softly, glancing around as if someone might be listening for a name. "The guy's an asshole vampire hunter who doesn't believe in shades of grey. Gordon tried to knock us off and Sam stopped him. I asked if he needed any help or anything but he just shrugged me off." She paused, considering Dean for a moment before adding, "He's a good kid." Eli snorted, as if a hunter letting a few vampires wander off didn't make him a good person. Dean was just amused that Gordon had somehow managed to hide that he was a vampire from these two. Eli and Lenore weren't exactly young or stupid, especially Leonore.

"How long ago was that?" he asked, vaguely curious. He didn't know why but the kid interesting him. Sam had been defiant as they came but underneath it all had been a sense of self-loathing that Dean recognized all to well from his early days as a vampire when he had killed with reckless abandon.

"A couple weeks," Leonore replied, but something in her gaze told Dean there was more to the story.

"What?" he prodded and the vampire chewed on her lower lip, uncertain.

"Leave it Lee," Eli prodded, his voice a low warning growl. Leonore frowned, turning her serious gaze to her mate.

"What we heard, I don't think it's a rumor," she said before turning to Dean. "There have been stories, about children with powers being transported to an abandoned town called Cold Oak."

"What does that have to do with the Winchester boy?" Dean asked even though he suspected he already knew the answer. Sam's babble from months ago about a demon in his mind and a coming war echoing through his head.

"Rumors claim he's one of the few who hasn't been pulled in," Leonore explained. "That he's going to be in the final group."

"How soon do you think?" Dean asked while part of his brain demanded to know why he cared.

"Soon," Leonore replied. "If it hasn't happened already." Dean thanked her and left the bar behind,mind consumed with thoughts of Sam. The kid wasn't a cold blooded killer. He wouldn't last a day in whatever game the demons had planned for him.

"Oh why do you care?" he muttered impatiently."He's just a stupid human." A stupid human who'd made him actually feel compassion and sympathy for the first time in years. A stupid human who had no idea what was coming and who was going to get himself killed if Dean didn't go help him. "He's a Winchester," Dean argued out loud. Initially he hadn't known what that meant but he'd done some research of his own. He'd discovered a lot about the Winchester family. After his wife Mary's death, John Winchester had worked to become the most feared hunter in the United States. His son, Sam, hadn't been all that eager to follow in his father's footsteps but after his girlfriend Jessica's tragic death he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into hunting with a fervor that frightened even some of the demons he'd run into. The kid was vengeance bent but he wasn't a cold blooded killer, not when innocents were involved. And there were liable to be plenty of innocents involved in a demonic death trap. "Ah fuck," Dean grumbled under his breath. He was going to Cold Oak.


	9. Sam

He was dying. Sam could feel the sticky pool of blood brushing against his arm grow steadily and knew he couldn't lose much more. He should have expected more from ex-soldier Jake Talley but the man hadn't wanted to kill him. At least he'd had the decency to stab Sam while he was looking. He tried to pull his arm tighter around his stomach but it refused to move. Distantly his mind moved toward the matter of his father. He wondered if John knew what was happening right now. He wondered if John had known everything Azazel had spilled between Sam's dreams and the events at Cold Oak. He wondered if the man was even still alive. Sam wasn't sure he cared about the answer.

The day hadn't started out so dismally. He'd parked the Impala outside a diner in Ohio and stepped inside to get a bite to eat. He'd just finished his last case and he didn't have anything else lined up so he had been looking forward to taking a little break. That was when the demon had grabbed him. He'd found himself in Cold Oak with a soldier named Jake Talley, a girl named Lily with the touch of death, Andy who he'd met on an earlier case, and eventually Ava who had vanished a month ago. That was when everything had gone wrong. Ava had been here for much longer than she'd claimed and had murdered first Lily and then Andy. Jake had snapped Ava's neck when she'd tried to kill Sam but afterwords Azazel had gotten to him. That was when Jake had attacked Sam.

He'd fought back but somewhat halfheartedly because he didn't want to win. He'd already lost Jess, his father wouldn't answer his calls, and he had demon blood in him. What reason did he have left to hang around? Saving some people? There were plenty of hunters out there that could save people and weren't treated to constant looks of pity and scorn that came with being John Winchester's son. Jake had ripped open his stomach which led to Sam being here, bleeding out on the cold, hard ground. He giggled tiredly at that thought, vague echoes of a pop song bouncing around in his head at that thought. Something about lying on the cold, hard ground; he'd flipped the station almost as soon as he'd heard it.

"You don't look like you're doing so hot." It took more effort than Sam would have liked to tilt his head so he could see who was talking. It took more effort for him to place the face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked finally and Dean snorted.

"You're bleeding out on the ground and you want to know why I'm here?" Sam shrugged vaguely as the vampire knelt next to his head. "What happened?"

"You can't tell?" Sam slurred with a roll of his eyes. "Guy slit me open with a knife. Least he did it to my front. Nice of him."

"You aren't making any sense," the vampire snapped. "No listen to me; I can either let you die in a pool of your own blood and drag your body back to someone or I could do something about it. Up to you."

"And by do something you mean..." Sam allowed himself to trail off even as the world began to fade away.

"Exactly," Dean confirmed and Sam allowed his eyes to drift closed.

"Fine," he said tiredly. "Whatever." He allowed himself to drift off then, knowing he'd either wake up as a monster or he wouldn't wake up at all.


	10. Dean

Sam wasn't exactly heavy, at least not to a vampire, but his ridiculously long limbs made him difficult to move. Dean huffed in irritation and half dragged the body along toward where he'd left his car. Dean was rather proud of his car. He'd bought the Impala when it was new and been extra careful to maintain it. Mostly it was kept in storage up at an old cabin hidden in the mostly deserted upper peninsula of Michigan but in the last month of so he'd decided to take his baby out for a drive. He dumped Sam into the back seat, covering the already cooling body with a sheet from the trunk. Sam's heart had already stopped beginning the transition from human to a member of the undead, so to speak. 

He slipped into the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition and pulling on to the road. As he drove away from Cold Oak his mind turned towards finding a safe house. Sam would be especially sensitive to sunlight when he first woke; which had probably been the reason behind the myth that vampires could not emerge in sunlight. He would also require blood. Some of it would be Dean's blood, to strengthen him through the transition, but most of it would need to be fresh human blood. That meant wherever they settled had to be big enough for him to hunt down a victim that wouldn't be missed. Furthermore, it would be useful if there was some kind of serial killer or criminal hanging around that Dean could nab. The vampire had no compunction about draining an innocent human being dry but he doubted Sam would be the same way, at least not for a while.

Sam's body was still sprawled across the back seat but Dean could hear his heartbeat slowly starting again. Despite all popular belief, a vampire's heart did beat. It needed to to spread oxygen through their bloodstream and keep the blood from becoming stagnant and rotting inside their bodies. It also was needed to spread oxygen through the blood stream to avoid damage to the brain. Sam would start breathing soon, and that meant Dean's time was limited. He glanced at the nearest information sign as he blazed past and smiled a shark's grin. _Rapid City, South Dakota_ proclaimed the sign. _30 miles_. Just within his time zone. He had about an hour left before Sam awoke, confused and hungry.

It took him ten minutes to find a suitable location for himself and Sam in Rapid City. He'd had years of practice, which made finding an abandoned warehouse simple. He left Sam in the backseat of Impala and made his way through the city on foot, searching for a victim. That took a little longer. When he wanted a quick meal he simply headed to the nearest bar and seduced one. He took her back to a hotel room, drank as much as he could without killing her, and in the morning she woke up thinking she'd just drunk a little too much and had a drunken lay. This time was a little different. Sam would need to drain his victim and as badly as Dean just wanted to pull some random person off the street he doubted Sam would appreciate that when he became fully aware.

It took him twenty minutes to find a suitable walking bloodbag. The greasy looking man was stalking a young girl with bright eyes and blonde curls. Pedophiles and child rapist were the kind of people who Dean made sure to kill and dump the bodies somewhere no one would ever find. They disgusted him. He knocked the man over the head and slung the body in a fireman's carry over his left shoulder, heading back for the warehouse. This part had taken longer than he expected and he really hoped that Sam would be weak enough not to be able to wander off. He was just lucky enough for that to be true.

Sam was shifting weakly in the back of the Impala when Dean bit his wrist and pressed it against Sam's mouth. The new vampire drank automatically. He wasn't fully awake at the moment. This stage was more like sleep walking, acting without any real conscious thought. He would remember this later but for the moment he was mostly brain dead. Once Sam had taken enough blood, Dean slit the sleazebag's throat. Sam drank him dry. Dean shoved the husk of the blood to the floor as Sam's eyes flickered closed and wiped the drying blood away from Sam's mouth with the back of his hand. He needed to move location before Sam woke.

Dean left the body behind, ignoring the soft whimpers from the back seat as the transition sealed together Sam's damaged flesh. This was the most painful part of the change. He remembered his own transition, where the blood seemed to burn like fire through his veins, and winced in sympathy. He rented a hotel room in one of the more run down parts of the city, paying a little extra so that their room was a double at the end of the row. Once inside he tied Sam down to the twin bed furthest from the door, making sure the new vampire wouldn't be able to get enough leverage to break free.

He needed to feed. He hadn't fed in almost a month, which was nearing his limit of the time he could go without blood before becoming a homicidal maniac, and he had donating some of his absorbed blood to Sam to assist with the transition. With the young vampire secured he left the room behind, locking the door and searching out the nearest bar. The sun would be setting soon and Dean would need to get a decent meal in. Otherwise have a new vampire without much self control around would be the least of Dean's problems.


	11. Sam

Waking up hurt. Sam's throat burned as if someone had doused it with flames. His eyes flickered open and everything was too bright. The sound of a car zooming by made him flinch and his eyes squeeze shut in pain. He tried to move, to shield his eyes, and realized he was tied down. He strained against the ropes but was unable to get any kind of leverage. The sudden throb of a heartbeat froze him. His stomach twisted hungrily and he squirmed against the ropes hungrily until the heartbeat passed by him. Then he stilled, suddenly aware of how desperately hungry he was. "Think of something else," he grated out and then flinched when his tongue was sliced by unexpectedly sharp teeth. The taste of dead blood, dull copper, flooded his mouth and the hunger grew. He found himself thrashing against the bindings, trying to get free almost automatically. The logical part of his brain had been buried under pure animalistic instinct, something Sam would have been disgusted about if he could think properly.

There was a dull click of the lock disengaging and Sam froze, breathing automatically stopped. The door swung open and Sam squeezed his eyes tightly shut until it closed again, the glare of fading sunlight burning his retinas. "So you're awake then," a familiar voice asked. Sam dared to lift his eyelids again and the vision before him wavered for a moment and then settled. He blinked as Dean smirked at him. "Hungry?" Sam's eyes narrowed as his mind struggled to piece together what had happened.

"What did you do?" he croaked out, throat feeling like it had been flayed with a hot knife so as to cauterize it and keep the life giving blood from flowing out. His tongue nicked against sharp teeth and he flinched slightly as cold, salty sludge dripped free before sealing up again.

"Nothing you didn't agree to Sammy," came the lazy reply. Sam opened his mouth to snap again and then froze as a heartbeat pounded outside the door. Distantly he registered footsteps but the most important sound was the almost continuous beat of the heart, steady and sure. A hand shook his shoulder roughly and his body jolted as much as it could against the ropes but his entire focus was on that tantalizing heartbeat. It took a low growl to catch his attention, his head snapping up to focus on Dean once more. "Hungry?" Dean asked again, smirk widening when Sam pressed his lips tightly together. "Craving something warm and salty and a little bit sweet sliding fresh and thin over your tongue?" A shudder washed over Sam's body and for a moment he was caught up in the overwhelming hunger. Then, in between blinks, he could almost have sworn that Dean's eyes flashed bile yellow.

 _"Yes Sammy,"_ Azazel was purring in his mind. _"You have demon blood in you."_ His whole body jerked suddenly against the restraints, eyes snapping closed as if that would stop the memory of the yellow eyed bastard's words. The next human who passed by was easy to ignore, Sam lost in the horror of standing in a dream world with Azazel. _"You're my favorite Sammy,"_ the demon reassured him and he shuddered all over as if he were standing in the midst of a hurricane of ice.

"Eyes open kid, _now_!" Dean's voice demanded, a hand gripping his chin so tightly that it should have bruised. Sam forced his eyes open and hoped that they weren't the same yellow as the demon that had infected him. That was the last thing he needed to happen. "What the fuck was that?"

Sam didn't want to answer, not one bit, but the words spilled out before he could stop them. "That is what happens when a demon spends two days fucking with your head and informs you he dripped his blood in your mouth when you were six months old." Dean's mouth actually dropped open a little in shock, something Sam had previously believed that only happened in movies.

"You cannot be serious."

"I am very serious," Sam replied dryly. "I have to live this." Dean growled low in his throat, and irritated sound that made Sam want to get as far away from the vampire as possible despite the ropes pinning him down.

" _Fuck_ ," Dean growled as he began to pace. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_! I should have just left you there to die." Sam shook his head, confused. He was still struggling to remember what had happened after his conversation with Azazel. He'd woken up right after and...Ava! Ava had been missing. He and Jake had gone to find her only to discover she was back where they had started and that she'd murdered Andy. Jake had killed Ava right before she'd killed him but they hadn't been able to escape. Azazel had spoken to Jake too, whispered in his ear, and Jake had stabbed Sam in the resulting scuffle. And then? Then Dean had showed up out of nowhere with an unexpected offer.

Sam bit back a groan, already hearing his dead father insist that if it wasn't human it was evil and their job to dispose of it. He'd become a vampire, something he hunted, all because he hadn't really cared anymore. If hunters weren't coming after because of the demon blood running through his veins they'd be trying to knock him off because he was now a bloodsucking freak. "Shit," he muttered, throat still burning and hunger making his stomach cramp. His body ached like he was coming down with a high fever and he was so screwed. He was going to be dead within a week. "This was not a good idea."

"Oh you're just now figuring that out," Dean sneered.

"I'm not the one who changed me into a vampire," Sam shot back, trying to fight down his rising panic.

"You agreed to it."

"I was bleeding out on the ground," was Sam's reply. "I wasn't the most reliable decision maker at that point." Dean grumbled in irritation, running his hands through his hair. The vampire calmed with eerie speed in the sudden silence.

"Fine," he said, voice emotionless. "Fine. First thing's first, we need to get you fed so you don't jump the nearest thing with pulse as soon as I untie you. Then we'll get out of here and find a place to do some research."

"I don't get a say in this?" Sam asked, arching his eyebrows when Dean looked at him.

"Not a chance fledgling," came the derisive reply. "You don't get to make any decisions until I can let you wander about freely without worry about you eating innocent people."

"Like you don't eat people," Sam snorted.

"Not anyone I don't intend to," Dean replied, his tone darkly amused. As if to prove the vampire's point another human walked by outside and Sam got caught up in the sound of a heartbeat again. "See what I mean?" the vampire asked wryly when the heartbeat faded away. Sam couldn't help but groan at that, his wrists burning from where the rope was rubbing them raw.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Now untie me." Dean smirked at him and for a moment Sam thought the vampire was going to leave him there. Then Dean finally moved and moments later Sam was rising stiffly to his feet. Dean grinned at him them, a wide, wicked smile.

"Come on Sammy-boy. Time to start hunting."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Danger is in Plain Sight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2235492) by [butterflybrigade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflybrigade/pseuds/butterflybrigade)




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